


Six Degrees of Wufei Chang

by lil_1337



Series: Morning After [10]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Chance Meetings, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M, Nervousness, sexual innuendo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 17:56:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9134926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_1337/pseuds/lil_1337
Summary: Wufei learns just what a small world it is after all.





	

Wufei looked up from the notes he was reviewing and blinked several times trying to clear and refocus his vision. He had been studying since returning to his room after finishing what the cafeteria had claimed was a baked pasta casserole. If he had been studying law instead of literature he would have considered filing a lawsuit against them for false advertising on the grounds that what had been served wasn’t anything close to pasta or edible. He’d eaten two bites, in case the first one was a fluke, before opting to dine on his last yogurt and the few grapes that were left in the mini fridge. 

With the clock now happily clicking towards five thirty his lunch choice, or lack thereof, was making itself known. Fortunately, he had plans to meet Heero, and by extension Maxwell and probably Barton, for dinner at The Pizza Place around six o’clock. He’d done Heero the favor of switching on call shifts the previous weekend so Heero could go with Maxwell to some horrible movie he wanted to see and dinner was Wufei’s payment. Considering he had ended up having to break up a fist fight as well as get two very drunk and vomiting residents to their rooms he had already been planning to stuff himself as well as have some to bring back for late night snack before he basically skipped lunch. 

Now that mid terms were looming on the horizon Wufei was all too aware of the sleep deprivation that would no doubt end up dominating his near future. Pizza, especially good pizza, went a long way towards mitigating some of that. At least in the short term. In the long term only a lot of uninterrupted sleep and some of his mother's cooking would do the trick. Unfortunately, those would have to wait until Thanksgiving. 

Standing, he stretched, loosening his muscles and working some of the kinks out of his neck and shoulders before sitting back down to put on his sneakers. He left the notebook open, making a mental note of where he had left off for when he got back. There was still a ton of work left to do before he could even begin to think about heading to bed for the night. He sighed as he made his way to the door, closing and locking it behind himself. It was looking like he was going to have to call Quatre and cancel their Monday game. It was a shame, but it couldn’t be helped, school had to come first, besides which with all the sex Quatre and his new mystery boyfriend had been having these days he didn’t need a game of chess or two to help him relax and deal with the stress.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Quatre picked up a breadstick then set it down, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. To say he was nervous was on par with calling the Grand Canyon a bit of a hole in the ground. Given how on edge he was if he ever got a chance to meet Trowa’s sister he was going to need Xanax, a lot of it, to keep from completely losing his mind. 

Next to him Trowa set down his cup and turned in his seat, smiling in a way made Quatre’s heart, and other parts of his body, jump just a little bit. “I’ve never seen you this nervous before.” 

Quatre smiled, a wan shadow of its usual brilliance. “I know.” 

Moving in for a kiss, Trowa smirked. “I could help you relax.” He gestured towards the door that read Frat Boys and slid his hand up Quatre’s leg. 

Snorting, Quatre shook his head, but leaned into the touch. “Because that is the first impression I want to make your best friend.”

“At least he’d know we work well together.” 

“True, though I doubt he wants to know that much.” Quatre could himself relaxing just a little bit as the amusement helped to temper some of the anxiety. “Besides we just did that less than an hour ago and it’s already wearing off.” 

“You need a booster shot.” Trowa’s grin was equal parts charming and lazily seductive and Quatre was more tempted to take him up on the offer than he cared to admit.

“I agree with that.” Quatre returned the kiss, leaning into it and smiling against Trowa’s lips. There was a buzz indicating that Trowa had received a text message and he pulled away slowly, clearly reluctant to let himself be distracted. 

With a sigh he picked up his phone and tapped the icon that indicated he had an incoming text message. He scanned it quickly then put the phone back down. “That was Duo. They’re on their way. He said to go ahead and order.” 

“Okay.” Quatre picked up his breadstick and took a bite. He could still feel the tension in the back of his head, like an anxiety white noise, but the siren song of lust that Trowa always brought out in him was foremost in his brain and that was something he had no problem with focusing on. If anything it honed his senses to a razor sharp awareness. 

Trowa raised his hand, gesturing to Hilde to let her know that they were ready any time she was. 

She appeared at the table seeming to teleport from one end of the room to the other instead of making her way through the crowd like the rest of the mere mortals around her. “You two really are adorable.” She produced a pencil and a pad from the apron she wore around her waist and made a grand show of being ready to take down their every word. “What can I get for you?” 

Trowa grinned, acknowledging the affection behind the statement. While he didn’t think Quatre was adorable, smoking hot and killer levels of smart, but not adorable, he could see why someone else might. Well, maybe a little adorable when he was cranky before his first cup of coffee, but not in a general sense. “A large garlic and cheese, a large pepperoni and mushroom and a medium veggie deluxe.” He turned his attention back to Quatre. “What do you think? Should we get more breadsticks?” At Quatre’s enthusiastic nod he chuckled. “Another order of breadsticks and a large salad.” He could feel Quatre beaming at him and should have been embarrassed by how hot that made him, but he wasn’t, not one damn bit. He’d eat salad all day long if it made Quatre happy. 

“Do you want some wings? Hilde was busy scribbling notes on her pad, but that didn’t stop her from carrying on a conversation at the same time. “We’re having a special right now. If you buy two large pizzas you get wings for half price.” 

“Sounds good. Do you like spicy?” 

“Not on my chicken wings.” Quatre smirked making it abundantly clear where and with who he was all about the spice. “Actually, I don’t particularly like chicken wings so whatever you want is fine.” His expression softened to indicate a different kind of warmth. “Thank you for asking though. I appreciate that.” 

After stealing a quick kiss Trowa turned back to Hilde. “Let’s do half honey barbecue and half volcanic.” 

“Got it.” Hilde grinned. “Drinks?” 

“A Coke and two unsweetened ice teas.” 

“I’ll bring those when the other guys show up.” She was gone, melting into the crowd like aproned ninja. 

“Feeling better?” Trowa slid his arm across the back of the booth, letting his fingertips brush against Quatre’s shoulder. 

“I think so.” Quatre considered for a minute then flashed Trowa a wicked grin. “But I’m still signing on for that relaxation booster after we get back to my place.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The rapidly cooling fall air helped Wufei to wake up, his brain starting to rouse itself from its academic focused coma. Moving was good too though both meant the hunger signals going to his brain were beginning to ramp up. He made a mental note to stop at the grocery store across from The Pizza Place on the way home in case tomorrow’s lunch was another culinary disaster. Feeling better for being outside and moving he picked up his pace even though he still had ten minutes and less than a mile to go before he was late. It was good to be out of the room, breathing fresh air and working his body instead of his mind for a change. Maybe he would take the long way back, circling the campus instead of cutting across it as he had on the way over. 

Ahead, the sidewalk split in two, one direction heading towards the main bulk of the college while the other led to where the town, and with it The Pizza Place, butted up against the perimeter of the campus. It was prime real estate and most of the businesses survived off the revenue generated by the university. Checking the time on his phone, he made a decision, turning left, away from the direction he needed to go he picked up his speed, moving into a slow run.

He passed the Engineering building then the parking garage before moving into the grassy area that was generally crowded with students when the weather allowed. This evening was no exception. People stood or sat in groups that varied in size from a solitary reader to one that sprawled out to encompass a large section of one corner. The sound of animated discussion was with punctuated with bursts of laughter and exclamations of disbelief, dismay, or anger often accompanied by words that would raise the rating level from G to somewhere in the hard R range.

Joining the crowd that mingled around the edges, Wufei slowed to a fast walk, carefully dodging the people he shared the sidewalk with. He worked his way around the edge, passing the steady stream of people entering and exiting the cafeteria. The smell of food amped his hunger back up and his stomach growled, responding to the stimulus even though his brain knew that whatever was on the menu wouldn’t actually be as good as it smelled. His mind focused on food, he failed to notice the young woman holding a clipboard in his path. At the last minute he shifted away managing to keep his feet, but just barely. The woman, however, was not as lucky, she stepped back, her foot hitting the grass behind her causing her to lose her balance and land on her butt. 

Horrified at what he had done he moved quickly to her side. “My apologies! Are you hurt?” He offered a hand, frowning as he realized that she looked familiar. 

“I’m fine.” She jumped to her feet ignoring his offer of assistance. “You should be more careful where you’re walking though.” 

Her smile softened her words a little, but Wufei could still feel his face heating up. He bit back his initial, knee jerk, response, knowing it for the defense it was. She was right and that rankled him more than it should. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He nodded stiffly trying not to let his embarrassment show.

“It’s all right.” She shrugged, smiling. “It’s pretty busy. That’s why I’m here.” She raised the clipboard waving it in his direction. “You can make it up to me by signing my petition.” 

“For what?” Wufei’s natural caution kicked in as he took it from her studying the wording at the top. 

“That the student health insurance should include complete women’s care.” 

“They don’t now?” He frowned, surprised. 

“No.” She shook her head sending her dangling earrings swaying in way that was almost hypnotic. “Not even something as basic as a pap smear which should be part of a routine check up. Not to mention the lack of access to birth control. They won’t even prescribe it for women who aren’t sexually active and have a medical need.” 

“That’s not right.” Carefully ignoring the deepening blush heating his cheeks Wufei signed his name and returned the clipboard. 

“Thank you…” She paused reading his name then frowning. “Wufei Chang. I think we’ve met. You’re a friend of Heero’s, right?” 

“Yes.” Wufei’s frown deepened as he tried to force a memory to the forefront that refused to budge. “Have we met? You seem familiar.” 

“Relena. Relena Peacecraft.” She offered her hand and he took it, shaking it gravely and with the honor it deserved. “I think we had lunch together a couple of times back in freshman year when Heero and I were taking the same poli sci class.” 

“Ah, now I remember.” With a final tug Wufei was able to pull up a hazy picture of a younger Relena, hair in a girlish ponytail with a bow and dressed in too much pink. “You’ve changed since then.” 

She snorted a laugh, clearly not at all nostalgic for those by gone days. “I stopped letting my mom pick my clothes and hairstyle.” She grinned, open and disarmingly honest. “I grew some boobs too so that’s different.” 

“I...yes. I noticed.” Wufei could feel the heat burning his skin as he fought the urge to keep from looking at the subjects of the discussion. 

“Good.” She spun on her heel, tossing him a look over her shoulder before working her way back into the crowd to hunt for more potential signers. 

Frozen to the spot, Wufei watched her go. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his life had just taken a major detour and for once not being in control didn’t bother him one bit. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Sorry we’re late. Traffic was a bitch.” Quatre looked up to be greeted by a brilliant smile. The young man attached to it was undeniably attractive, as was his companion though neither one was Quatre’s type. He preferred men that were, more Trowa, but he had eyes and knew good looking when he saw it. They both slid into the booth and the one who had spoken stretched out a hand for Quatre to shake. “I’m Duo and this is Heero.” 

Quatre shook the offered hand, feeling himself warming almost immediately. “Quatre Winner. Nice to meet you. Trowa’s told me so much about you.” 

“Lies probably. Unless it’s good. That stuff is real.”

Chuckling, Quatre offered Heero his hand and received a brisk, firm, shake in return. The name struck him as familiar in a vague way, but he wrote it off as having heard it from Trowa multiple times. “It’s nice to meet you as well.” 

Heero nodded his agreement, as he snugged in close to Duo, clearly claiming his place without saying so. 

Duo raised an eyebrow and started to comment when Hilde arrived with their drinks. She set the Coke in front of Duo and one of the ice teas in front of Heero. Then placed the salad and breadsticks in the middle of the table before disappearing again. 

“Salad?” Duo eyed the bowl with amusement. “Someone’s a good influence.” 

Trowa picked up his glass and took a drink, holding it so that he was clearly flipping Duo off. 

Watching the interplay with interest and no small amount of amusement Quatre gently pushed the salad and breadsticks towards Duo with a smile. “Please, help yourselves. We’ve been snacking since we got here.” 

“He’s got manners.” Duo directed his comment to Trowa despite keeping his eyes on Quatre. “Why’s he hanging out with you?” 

Trowa shrugged, his movements smooth and languid. “Slumming probably.” 

Quatre frowned, then relaxed realizing that Trowa was not the least bit upset or worried. Leaning against him, Quatre let a wicked smirk spread across his face. “I’m right here and I can hear you,” He arched an eyebrow at Duo before adding. “To answer your question, Trowa is dead sexy and amazing in bed. Also, “ His voice and his expression softened. “He has a heart and mind that are just as incredible.” Once again his expression shifted, this time taking on a haughty cast. “I’m used to having the best of everything including boyfriends so that’s why I’m hanging with him.” 

Duo’s eyebrows rose up until they disappeared in his bangs, his grin growing with each word. “Good.” Nodding his agreement he turned to Trowa with a smirk. “I like him. He’s got balls and knows a good thing when he sees it. You can keep him.” 

“Gee, thanks.” Trowa snorted, his tone dry, but obviously pleased. “I’m so glad you approve.” 

Duo reached for the salad, offering it to Heero, who proceeded to place some on both his and Duo’s plates. “As you should be.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The marquee in the bank parking lot read 6:10 when Wufei jogged past. His side trip through campus and literally running into Relena had taken more time than he had expected. Courtesy dicated that he should stop and call Heero to let him know that Wufei was running late, but in the time it would take to do that he could already be there. Ten minutes wasn’t too tardy, but Wufei preferred to be early as a general rule. When he was a child his mother had always told him, if you arrive on time then you’re late and he’d taken it as a personal motto as he’d gotten older.

The smell of savory treats assailed him as he pulled open the door to The Pizza Place and his hunger returned with a vengeance, causing his stomach to gurgle. Embarrassed he looked around, but no one else seemed to have noticed thanks to the loud conversation and general din that large amounts of people in a single space tend to cause. Towards the back he spotted Yuy and Maxwell in a booth. Weaving in and out of the tables he made his way to where they were sitting. His eyes were drawn to the food covering the table as he slid into the space that Yuy cleared by scooting over. “I’m sorry to be late.” He apologized, shooting a look at Heero, as he reached for a slice of pizza. 

“Wufei?” 

Wufei’s head jerked up and he startled, his food hanging in the air. “Winner?” For the first time he really looked at the young man seated next to Trowa. He blinked, stunned, as the realization hit him. “ _Barton_ is your mystery boyfriend?” 

Quatre grinned, pride clear on his face and he nodded before starting to laugh. “I didn’t realize Trowa was _the_ Barton or I would have told you sooner.” Despite his obvious amusement Wufei could see something wary and concerned in Quatre’s eyes. Considering how everyone’s dislike of Darren had proven to be an omen there was no doubt Quatre was questioning himself and his judgement in dating someone Wufei clearly disapproved of. The thought simultaneously infuriated Wufei and broke his heart. 

He had to admit that in the few weeks Quatre and Trowa had been dating, Quatre was happier than Wufei had ever seen him. Not to mention Quatre’s confidence and sense of himself had rebounded strongly and continued to grow. Barton might not be Wufei’s choice, but he was clearly Quatre’s and that was what mattered. Letting out a mock put upon sigh he took a bite of his pizza, chewed then swallowed. “It could be worse. At least it’s not Maxwell.” 

The pleased smile that Quatre shot him was reward enough, but Maxwell’s indignant “Hey!”coupled with Barton and Yuy’s laughter didn’t hurt either.


End file.
